With its concern for wisdom and practical living, the book of James resembles Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. James reaffirms the lessons of these books and sometimes reframes them in light of what God has revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. James opens by explaining that God uses difficulties in life as a way of making us “perfect, complete, and lacking in nothing” (1:2–4), and throughout the letter, he explores how we are to live godly lives in God’s world as we wait for the return of Jesus.

On first reading, it may seem as though James is jumping between different topics in a disorganized fashion, but upon closer inspection, we can see that he orders his letter in a way similar to Ecclesiastes. In the opening section (1:5–18) he introduces us to core three principles of living well, which over the course of the remainder of the letter he unpacks in more depth with a variety of examples and points.

First, there is wholehearted devotion, which has to do with wholly committing to God and his people in our dealings with them rather than being double-minded and inconsistent. He introduces this principle with the instruction to ask God for wisdom without doubting, for a genuine request requires that we trust in God to provide (1:5–8). When he returns to this principle, he applies it to our obedience, which requires that we hear and do (1:19–27); our treatment of others, which should be loving regardless of whether they are rich or poor (2:1–13); our faith, which should be conjoined with works if it is to be genuine (2:14–26); and our words, which should not bless God and then turn to curse his likeness found in our fellow human beings (3:1–12).

Second, there is exalted humility (or equally humiliated exaltation), which is about how God’s kingdom is upside down when compared to the way the world works. He introduces this principle by urging the lowly brother to boast in his exaltation, and the person obsessed with their wealth to boast in his humiliation (1:9–11). When he returns to this principle, he explains that in God’s kingdom those who humbly seek him are lifted up and those who proudly trust in their own strength or wealth are brought down (3:13–4:10); he urges us not to put ourselves above others by acting like we’re their judge (4:11–12); he reminds us that we are like mist or vapor that is only around for a short time, and so we should rely on God (4:13–17); and he tells us of what will become of all the riches that we proudly hoard for ourselves (5:1–6).

Third and last, there is receptive endurance, which has to do with how we live in waiting for Jesus to return. He introduces this principle with an exhortation to persevere, and never blame God for the difficulties we face—we receive good things from him and are tempted because of our weakness (1:12–18). When he returns to this principle, he encourages us to be patient knowing that we will be with Jesus one day (5:7–12); and he calls us to rely on God in everything, both good and difficult times (5:13–20).